Today's American Minute — Labor Day

Labor Day, Railroad Strikes, & Eugene Debs' Socialist Party of America - American Minute with Bill Federer

There was rioting, pillaging, and burning of railroad cars, destroying an estimated $80 million worth of property in 27 states.

A New York Times editorial, July 9, 1894, called Debs "a lawbreaker at large, an enemy of the human race."

"Debs' Rebellion" became a national issue when it interrupted the trains delivering mail.

President Grover Cleveland declared the strike a federal crime and deployed 12,000 U.S. Army troops to break up the strike.